Chapter 18: Second Day of School & First Day at the Hospital
The night came and went, and I found myself back at the academy, staring at the blackboard while a swarm of girls hovered around me, chattering like a flock of particularly persistent crows.
I'd seen this exact scene play out yesterday—except it was Shisui, they couldn't leave alone.
"Oh, Shisui-kun is so cute!" They'd squeal, casting me barely a glance. Which I mean… Huh? My looks were perfection incarnate. I basically build-a-bear'ed myself.
But today, somehow, I was the new idol.
"Satoshi-kun" an NPC gushed, leaning a little too close. A rather pungent perfume wafted from her neck to my nose.
I couldn't help but think she should know better—that wearing a scent that strong could get you killed in the field. But then I remembered: she was just a six-year-old, clanless, and hadn't been raised with that drilled into her head from day one.
"You were so cool yesterday!"
Another one piped up, clutching her hands like she was about to propose marriage. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Some clanless women in this world were auctioned off (or did it themselves) like livestock to the highest bidder.
All because of tradition, politics, profit, and whatever reason they rationalized would justify marrying off children.
"And you're so… mysterious! Like, you have this quiet strength. It's just… ugh!"
A third, practically vibrating, chimed in, "Yeah!" she said, smooshing herself between the two, little Parana, the three of them. "And those eyes! They're so deep. I feel like you could look into my heart!"
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Deep eyes? Looking into hearts? Weren't these girls, like, six or something? Did chakra accelerate hormones in this world?
"Satoshi-kun, do you have a girlfriend?"
My eyebrow raised, and my finger stopped tapping on the desk.
Oookay, that's enough of that.
Ever since they began talking to me, I made it a point to never look them in the eyes. Least, I hypnotize them with the beauty of my gaze—yes, I am a considerate individual.
But, expectedly, that sentence caught me off guard.
Raising my hand over my mouth, I let out a light cough.
The girls blinked, their eyes glazing over as they turned like a flock of hypnotized chipmunks.
"Satoshi-kun! Where are you going?" one of them squealed, running toward the door. They all swarmed out of the class, practically tripping over each other in a hurry.
And then, just as they all about left the classroom, I heard a familiar voice beside me.
"Is that the same genjutsu you used on me yesterday?" Shisui asked as he watched the parade of starry-eyed girls follow my illusion outside.
He looked down at me, his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, like he'd caught me in the act—which, to be fair, he had.
I leaned back in my chair and gave him a small smile, not bothering to deny it. "Maybe."
Shisui's eyebrow twitched. He was holding back the frown I could see forming on his face.
He took a seat next to me. "You shouldn't use it on them so casually. It's not right."
I closed my eyes, slipping into my Mind Palace. I might as well work on my new jutsu while I wait for class to start.
"I'll keep that in mind."
I could feel the heat from his Uchiha eyes staring me down as if he wanted to lecture me further, but he held back. Smart kid.
"How did you do it?" He asked after a moment.
"Do what?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious while I flipped through a mental notebook, sketching out some new ideas for a genjutsu.
Shisui sighed through his teeth. It was obvious he was getting irritated. For a five-year-old, he had impressive self-control. "How did you cast the genjutsu without hand seals?"
I jotted down some thoughts on the jutsu. If I could manipulate specific parts of the brain, I could control their depth perception and sensory experience entirely. Pain would be easy—activate the Thalamus, amplify the response.
Activate the Primary visual Cortex so my target(s) won't perceive a targeted movement or form within their field of vision.
For fear, anger, and pleasure, I would target the Amygdala and the Insular Cortex since they regulate emotional responses, visceral feelings, etc.
But control over their voluntary motor functions… that's tricky. The brain's motor complex is more resilient to manipulation, and the chakra drain could be enormous.
I tapped my mental pen on the page. I'll need a workaround. Maybe if I focused on the prefrontal cortex,… subtle control over decision-making processes. Indirect, but efficient.
I could feel Shisui getting impatient beside me.
"Would you like to know?" I asked, still mentally working.
I heard him shift in his seat. "Isn't that obvious? I—"
Before he could finish, the teacher's voice cut him off. "Girls, get back to class. I don't want to catch you in the boys' bathroom again, understood?"
I opened my eyes, watching as the girls blinked, confused; they nodded sheepishly and hurried back to their seats. Shisui's eyes were hot on the side of my head.
The classroom settled down again, but part of my mind stayed in the Mind Palace, working through ideas for the jutsu while I focused on the present.
I'd learned a couple of months ago how to split my attention this way. It was like drawing a square with one hand and a triangle with the other—but much more difficult.
The more I pushed my mind, the faster it developed. My thoughts had gotten quicker, my memory was better than being just photographic—it was more like perfect mental playback.
It excited me to think about how much further my brain could evolve.
The teacher called for attention, and the lesson began.
Something about the Will of Fire, probably. I lifted the pencil off the desk, directing chakra through my fingers as I manipulated it to twirl around my hand.
It was a chakra control exercise I'd been practicing for a while now. It required precise control—chakra had to be pushed and pulled in exact, minute amounts to keep the pencil moving rhythmically around each finger.
Hard at first, but repetition made it smoother.
Shisui's eyes drifted to the pencil. His mouth opened slightly.
I smiled, transmitting silently through Whisper. [I can teach you if you come over for dinner tonight.]
Shisui blinked, his eyes wide with surprise. His voice came out louder than he intended, "Did you just—"
"No talking in class, Shisui-kun," the teacher said, shooting him a sharp glance.
Shisui shifted in his seat, looking down at his notes. "Sorry, Sensi," he mumbled, though his gaze kept flickering back to me and the pencil dancing around my fingers as if trying to make sense of it.
I let the pencil spin lazily around my thumb. [I'm a decent cook, too. I'm sure you'd like the meal.]
His grip on his pen tightened.
[Dinner starts at seven. Just come to the Yamanaka compound, and someone will show you to my house.]
I didn't wait for a response. Shisui was curious, and I knew curiosity was irresistible for kids. I was pretty sure he'd show up.
The rest of the class day dragged on without anything remotely interesting happening—just basic lectures on the Will of Fire, math, and some simple geography lessons.
By the end of it, one thought was solidified in my mind.
I definitely need to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
###
Konoha Hospital
3:00 p.m.
Not too shabby.
I looked up at the Konoha Hospital, standing just off the main thoroughfare.
The building stretched wide across the block, with three floors stacked on top of each other like tiers of a massive wedding cake. It wasn't the Mayo Clinic, but it definitely surpassed my expectations for this world.
A sea of villagers, chunin, and genin moved in and out of the large cacky-colored building, its green accents—the roof's shingles, window shutters—gleaming in the afternoon sun.
A circular red sign with "Konoha Hospital" in bold kanji hung above the entrance, standing like a beacon.
It looked big. Somewhere between the size of a CVS and a small grocery store—maybe a Trader Joe's?
I never saw any ANBU enter or exit, but that wasn't surprising. Probably some hidden backdoor entrance, all hush-hush so no one could see them come and go.
"Don't look so starstruck," Akira said beside me. "You'll lose that sparkle soon enough."
I followed her inside, and the familiar scent of disinfectant hit me like a wave. Hospitals all smelled the same, no matter what universe you were in, Antiseptic.
Clean, but with an underlying hint of sickness that even bleach couldn't erase. The lights overhead were bright, sterile white fluorescents that buzzed faintly—another universal constant.
It was a strange fusion of familiar and foreign.
Instead of the scrubs I was used to seeing, doctors and nurses here wore crisp white coats with kanji over their hearts that read "Medical Staff."
Their white trousers were a quarter too short, stopping just above the ankle. And they wore hats that looked like berets.
Swagged out, I thought. Konoha's medical staff had some style.
Akira led the way to the front desk, where a middle-aged woman with a round face and gentle eyes sat organizing patient files. She looked up and smiled warmly when she saw Akira approach.
"Akira-sama! It's good to see you," she said, her voice kind, maternal. She glanced around. "Is the boy here?"
Akira covered her mouth with a chuckle. "He's down here, Ayumi."
The woman blinked, then leaned over the counter, her face flushing in surprise when she finally spotted me.
"Oh my!" she said. "I didn't realize he'd be so… young. I thought—"
"It won't be a problem, will it?" Akira asked, tone light… deceptively too light.
"Ayumi straightened quickly. "No, of course not. I trust your judgment, Akira-sama. I'll make sure he's properly trained. We should finish up by six."
"Good," Akira said, giving me a nod. "See you at home for dinner, boy."
I returned the nod and watched as Akira turned and strode back toward the exit.
My eyes flicked to Ayumi, who was suddenly standing right over me, her warm smile now replaced with something far more sinister.
"So," she said, her silhouette shifting into the vague shape of a demon. "Let's get to work, Satoshi-kun."
###
The rest of the afternoon was filled with menial tasks that reminded me of my early days in med school, except this time, I was dressed in oversized hospital garments that made me look like a kid playing dress up.
A white coat hung off my small frame, the hat sitting crooked on my head. It seemed to charm everyone around me.
"Oh, he's just adorable!" one nurse cooed as I mopped the floors.
"So cute! Look at him go!" another chimed in as I scrubbed down a table.
Cute. Yeah, that's exactly the vibe I was going for…
###
At one point, I was cleaning up vomit and fecal matter from a hallway floor. That was fun
###
Later, I had to help an obese woman change her diaper—yes, they were a thing here too.
###
Then, there was a patient who knocked over an entire tray of bloody surgical tools. Guess who had to clean it up?
###
Time crawled by, and soon, it was nearing the end of my shift. I glanced at the clock on the wall—6:30 pm.
Just as I was prepared for Ayumi to call it a day, a flurry of activity broke out at the entrance. Medics rushed past me, pushing at full speed.
I stepped back, my eyes locking on the figure lying motionless on the stretcher.
A chunin, judging by the uniform and age, but her entire abdomen was burned beyond recognition.
From her chest to her pelvis, the flesh was charred black, her skin fused with the remnants of her clothes.
The smell of burned flesh hit me—thick, nauseating. Her face was pale, lips cracked, eyes half-lidded, her breaths shallow.
In my world, she'd be dead on arrival. But here, they were keeping her alive through sheer willpower—or rather, chakra.
Medics surrounded her, hands glowing with green chakra as they performed medical jutsu. Some were checking her vitals, and others were probably blocking her pain receptors.
They worked together with an efficiency that I had to respect.
I watched them rush her into a nearby room, and for a second, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion—a side effect from my enhanced processing speed when I began thinking fast.
That smell—burned flesh—it wasn't foreign to me.
I'd seen cases like it in the ER back in my world. Burn victims, trauma patients, and out-of-the-blue emergency surgeries.
But the sight of her, the reality of this world, was a reminder.
A reminder that this place was filled with jutsu capable of burning you alive, slicing you to ribbons, turning your insides to mush at the drop of a hat.
No matter how much chakra I trained, no matter how much I pushed my mind and body, I was always one step away from something like that.
There were thousands of jutsu out there that could kill you before you even knew what was happening. Seals, fire jutsu, lightning jutsu, techniques that could rip you apart from the inside.
I wasn't sickened by it. Just… reminded.
Reincarnation wasn't a free pass—of course, I knew that. I chose this world. This wasn't some game where I had extra lives. If I wasn't careful, that could easily be me on that gurney.
I need to get stronger, I thought. Faster. Smarter. So that's never me.
"Satoshi-kun," Ayumi's voice snapped me back to the present. She stood in front of me, her face serious but her eyes soft. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Ayumi-san." I replied. No hesitation.
She studied me for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Good. You're free to go for the day. We'll see you again this weekend."
I nodded in return, and with that, my first day at Konoha Hospital came to an end.
Now, time to make some Hamburgers.
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[A/N] Thanks again for all of your support, everyone! It means the world.
BTW, how is this posting time? I live in Texas, so I usually post from around 10 am to 12 pm Central Time, but I know a lot of readers live in different countries. Let me know, and I'll adjust.
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